Eastern Greenland at the start of winter
As winter approaches in the Northern Hemisphere, reduced sunlight at high latitudes leads to colder temperatures and the formation of sea ice along the eastern coast of Greenland.
This Copernicus Sentinel-2 image, acquired on 13 November 2025, shows the region illuminated in the soft light of a low sun, which creates elongated shadows across the landscape. These long shadows are a typical feature at the onset of the polar winter. The image further shows Sikuijivitteq, a fjord in eastern Greenland, where sea ice is starting to form. Patches of pack ice, a dense cover of free‑floating sea ice fragments, are gradually spreading across the water’s surface. The seasonal development of sea ice plays a key role in the Arctic climate system, influencing regional and global marine ecosystems.
Copernicus Sentinel-2 and Sentinel-1 data are key to monitoring changes in polar and subpolar regions, including the formation and evolution of sea ice.
![Download [WEBP, 1.15 MB]](https://eu-space.europa.eu/sites/default/files/images/iotd/20251121_Greenland.webp){kind=link}